Wall for railway cars



March 23, 1937e E. E. scHLEslNGER WALL FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Nov. 4, 1935 'llllllllllllllllllllll Patented Mar. 23, 1937 p estasi WALL FOR RAILWAY CARS Edgar E. Schlesinger,

Chicago, Ill., assigner to Union Metal Products Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application November 4 Claims.

The invention relates to railway cars and more particularly to side walls of open top railway cars. Ihese side walls perform two functions. First, they are the load retaining means, and

secondly, they are girders carrying the major Aportion of the weight of the lading to the body lholsters from whence it is transferred to the trucks. In certain types of other railway cars my construction may valso be used.

An object of the invention is to provide a very light and strong car wall which can be quickly and economically made, installed and repaired.

Such walls must be very light, as it is expensive to transport dead weight in a car and such walls must be very strong as grders to carry the load referred to above and must be very strong as vertical beams to carry the horizontal thrust of the lading, which is very great on account of the impact thereof due to the movements of the car when running. The parts of the wall must be capable of easy assemblage because replacements frequently are necessary on account of wearing out of the parts, corrosion and wrecks.

Another object of the invention is to provide the side wall of an open top railway car with outwardly projecting panels between the vertical strut-ties to increase the cubical capacity of the car.

It is old to join adjacent paneled wall sheets of an open top railway car by means of outwardly projecting flanges secured together to form strutties or stiffeners between the upper and lower chords (or frame members) of the car. The tendency of these stifeners is to deect or collapse laterally under the horizontal static and impact thrust of the lading. One of the objects of the invention is to form one or both of the connecting anges of adjacent wall sheets so as to resist such deilecting or collapsing tendency.

In the drawing:

Fig. l shows an exterior view of a portion of a side wall of a railway hopper car made according to my invention.

Fig. 2 is an interior view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5--5 of Fig. 1.

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 show modified constructions 50 described later.

In the form of my invention illustrated the wall comprises an upper chord 2 and a lower chord 3 (or other spaced apart frame members) and a pair of wall sheets 4 which are secured to and 55 preferably overlap one or both of the frame mem- 4, 1935, Serial No. 48,095

bers 2--3 to form a load retaining means therebetween and a girder in combination therewith.

Each sheet 4 is bent on a radius to form a flange I positioned adjacent the flanges 8 of adjacent,n sheet and one or both of the flanges is provided with a reange 9 to stiifen the outer margin thereof and to increase the strength of the struttie.

The wall sheets 4 are preferably each provided with an outwardly projecting panel I2 whereby the cubical capacity of the car is increased. These panels comprise preferably oblique portions I4 which merge into the sheets adjacent the flanges 'I-B and also adjacent the frame members 2 3. In such a construction the flanges 1 8 and the oblique portions I4 cooperate to form stiffeners between the frame members. The radius of one 0f said flanges l-S is relatively small (I6) adjacent the frame members Z-3 (or preferably of the parts of the wall sheets which overlap the frame members). The radius of said flanges is relatively large (i8) between the frame members or between the relatively small radii I6.

The relatively large radii (I8) act as gussets or braces to prevent the strut-tie (formed by the flanges) from deflecting or collapsing while the small radii I6 form a very small hole to be plugged up; for instance, by welding.

4 The change from a relatively small radius to a relatively large radius is preferably progressive and the radius is preferably largest about onethird up from the lower chord which is the place of maximum bending moment of a retaining wall.

I preferably form the flanges on the inside of the car of varying radii but the reflanges may also be formed on varying radii as shown.

Fig. 6 shows a modification wherein the sheet 20 is formed on a constant radius for the full length of the wall sheet but its companion sheet ZI is formed upon the varying radii heretofore described.

Fig. 7 shows a modification wherein both sheets 24 and 25 are provided with reflanges 26-21 and both sheets are formed with varying radius at both the junctures of the iianges 24-25 with the major portions 28--29 of the wall sheets and the junctures of the flanges 24-25 with the reflanges 2li-2l respectively.

Fig. 8 is similar to Fig. 6 with both flanges 30 and 3l provided with reflanges 32-33.

The accompanyingrdrawing illustrates the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and de- 10 sheets formed with an outwardly projecting panel with portions thereof merging intothe sheet adjacent the radial portions of the sheets whereby the flanges and said portions form stiffeners between the frame members, the radius of one of said ilanges being relatively small adjacent said frame members and relatively large therebetween for the purpose specified.

2. A wall for a railway car comprising spaced apart frame members, a pair of wall sheets over- 20 lapping and secured to said frame members to form a load retaining means therebetween, each of said sheets bent on a radius to form a flange, each of said sheets formed with an outwardly 25 projecting panel with portions thereof merging into the sheets adjacent the radial portions of the vsheets whereby the flanges and said portions form stiffeners between the frame members, the radius of one of said flanges being relatively small Where the sheets overlap the frame members and relatively large therebetween for the purpose specied.

3. A wall for a railway car comprising spaced apart frame members, a pair of wall sheets secured to said frame members to form a load retaining means therebetween, each of said sheets bent on a radius to form a ange, each of said sheets formed with an outwardly projecting panel with portions thereof merging into the sheets adjacent the radial portions of the sheets whereby the anges and said portions form stiffeners between the frame members, the radius of said flanges being relatively small adjacent said frame members and relatively large therebetween for the purpose specified.

4. A wall for a railway car comprising spaced apart frame members, a pair of wall sheets overlapp-ing and secured to said frame members to form a load retaining means therebetween, each of said sheets bent on a radius to form a flange, each of said sheets formed with an outwardly projecting panel with portions thereof merging into the sheets adjacent the radial portions of the sheets whereby the flanges and said portions form stiifeners between the frame members, the radius of said anges being relatively small where the sheets overlap the frame members and relatively large therebetween for the purpose specifled.

EDGAR E. SCI-ILESINGER. 

